Machines for producing shirt sleeve plackets are known in the prior art. These machines typically include a sewing machine having a sewing clamp. In operation, a machine operator manually folds the sleeve in a predetermined manner to form the placket and thereafter manually positions the placket under the sewing clamp. The sewing machine is then actuated to stitch the sleeve placket.
Prior art techniques for forming sleeve plackets have several disadvantages. First, a great deal of expertise is required by the machine operator in order to fold the sleeve into the proper form prior to stitching of the placket. Although there have been attempts to design apparatus to facilitate the placket folding process, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,283 to McFalls, such prior art techniques have produced less than satisfactory results. Moreover, because such techniques require the operator to both form and align the placket under the sewing clamp, each sleeve must be individually produced. This process is both time consuming and expensive, thereby decreasing the production rate of finished garments.
There is therefore a need for an improved method and apparatus for forming and stitching a sleeve placket which overcomes these and other limitations of prior art techniques.